A rogue heart
by cArPeNoctis
Summary: "Promise to not run off and break my heart?" "I won't if you don't give me a reason to." ladyHawke/Isabela,pirate POV.


**Here follows **a one-shot I wrote a while back about f!Hawke and Isabela. Not much else to say. Enjoy and comment,please!:)

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><p><em>To be loved.<em>

That's what she had said, right? All but embarrassed over Isabela's naughty little joke, Aveline hadn't hesitated for a second as she had uttered the stern reply. And even she could tell that the guard-captain seemed far more happy now, than she had ever been before. All because of a single band of jewellery on her finger. A ring, just like the one Isabela had once considered a heavy shackle. But then again, it all came down to who the captor was, didn't it?

Isabela threw another pebble into the water absent-mindedly, studying the circles which formed neatly on the surface. So lost in thought, she couldn't even bring herself to remember what she was doing down by the Docks this late an afternoon. To admire her new beauty, the ship she acquired from Castillon no doubt. She smiled in satisfaction at the memory. Only a few more weeks for preparation, and she'd be out of Kirkwall. Preferably with Hawke at her side.

She could feel her heartbeat quicken as she thought about their conversation a few days ago, when she had invited the other rogue to join her. She had said she'd have to "think about it", with one of those flirtatious smiles that made her heart melt.

She was still not accustomed to her feelings for Hawke. Though she had promised herself to block out all such emotions, one day it just up and bit her in the ass, confusing her to no end. Why Hawke? Why now? She knew for one that she didn't care, as long as she could stay by her side.

Standing up, the pirate woman threw away a last pebble and brushed off her backside. The sun was starting to set, so she hoped her champion would have finished the loads of paperwork she'd been swamped with since morning.

Making her way uptown from the docks, she forced herself to walk past the Hanged Man and continue up towards Hightown. Allowing herself to become just momentarily distracted by the shops, she spotted out a nice pair of boots she'd have to remember persuading Hawke into buying her. The streets were still crowded with people trying to finish their errands before nightfall, so she made sure to keep her coin purse well away from sight, knowing well herself the tricks cutpurses shoved up their sleeves.

Passing through the residential district, she slowed down a bit as she gazed up to the windows of one of the mansions, notably abandoned and uncared for. Long bands of ivy clung to the facade like weed, and the windows of the lower floor were dusty and cracked. It was hard to think someone could live in there, Isabela shuddered. But then again, Fenris, the unlikely inhabitant of the rundown estate, couldn't care less for its condition.

The pirate had taken a liking for the elf - in fact, if it wasn't for Hawke's unexpected meddling, she might have gone for him from the start. But recent events had turned things around. Observant as she was of all that concerned the other rogue woman, Isabela had taken a sharp notice of her relationship with Fenris. Sure, it was all professional, and she should rest assured knowing Hawke's solid interest laid with women, yet it didn't feel good watching them together.

Why, she couldn't answer. It was driving her insane knowing that she acted like a jealous house-wife, tip-toeing nervously around her lover's affairs. With one final glance at the estate, Isabela turned her heel and continued down the lane.

Right ahead laid the Hawke estate; not so far different from the other residences of Hightown, if not including its owner. Everyone knew this was where the Champion of Kirkwall lived, and indeed, a few by-passers slowed their steps to stare excitedly at the entrance. Isabela smirked. It was hard to think that their hero had once lived amongst the poorest of them all.

The sky was starting to take on a purplish-blue hue, and she noted dim lights glowing in the windows. She calmly walked up and drummed the doorknocker against the hard wood, resisting the urge to just pick the lock and skip the wait. Fortunately enough, her knock was answered almost immediately.

The estate's manservant Bodahn greeted her with a quick bow as the door flung open, gesturing for her to enter. "Messere Hawke did say you'd be back for the evening, serah. Said to just let you in, she did."

"Thank you, Bodahn, but please drop the 'serah' business before it gets to my head," Isabela chuckled, flipping her hair back. Bodahn smiled and bowed again before retreating. Isabela looked around the main - room, sensing the sweet aroma of food from somewhere. Orana must have begun making dinner, then, she thought contentedly. It seemed she had arrived just in time.

Skipping up the stairs, she quietly pushed the door handle of Hawke's door down, sneaking inside the room. The bed was empty and left in the newly-made state it had been in when she left earlier that day. In fact, the only thing that seemed to have changed, was the brazier which now hosted a crackling fire. Isabela let her eyes wander over the room, stopping to gaze at her lover's back.

Hawke sat by her desk, facing the wall. A candle by the table's edge gave light to her work, several stashes of letters and parchments that lay scattered even on the floor around her. Her short, black hair was unusually disheveled; most likely because she had run her hands through it so many times, like she did when she was in thought, Isabela mused. Signing another letter, Hawke put it away with a sigh and continued her work, not even aware of the pirate's presence.

Smirking to herself, Isabela silently crept up on the other woman, surprising her with a happy glomp. She could her Hawke gasp in shock before recognizing her attacker, resulting in a hearty laughter. She felt her heart skip a beat at the sound.

"Isabela! I wasn't expecting you until tonight!" Hawke said with surprise, stroking the other rogue's arm. She turned her head slightly to look up at her.

"...It _is_ tonight, Hawke," Isabela replied.

The Champion paused for a moment, then looked out her window in disbelief. Finding the stars which had started to come out, she sank back in her chair with a frustrated sigh. She gave the piles of paper a deadly glare.

"You're honestly not finished yet?" Isabela said, raising her eyebrows.

"No. Now that I'm the Champion, it seems that everyone wants something. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone _and_ their grandma," Hawke huffed, picking up another parchment in her hands. She looked like she was considering burning it instead.

Isabela sighed disappointedly, then laid herself comfortably on the large bed, making a mess of the sheets in the process. "That's alright, I'll just wait over here then..." she started stroking the spot next to her suggestively, "for you." Hawke glanced at her over her shoulder, smirking and shaking her head with a chuckle as she turned back.

As she went back to work, the pirate woman stared softly at her back. She had never thought she could enjoy just being with someone like this. Once the realization of her feelings true nature had crept upon her, she had panicked and tried to push them out of her head before it got worse. And maybe she would have succeeded, if not for her stupid comment that night not so long ago. _'It will be you and me, chasing the horizon. I can't think of any place I'd rather be.' _Of course she had to explain herself after that. Fortunately though, her feelings were answered.

That final note landed her on an unwelcome thought in this type of context; Fenris. She was reminded of how he and Hawke had shared many laughters the night before while gambling at the Hanged Man. Fenris didn't generally laugh. He barely even smiled in public, except on a few occasions - most of them involving Hawke. An unpleasant knot took form in Isabela's stomach as she thought back. Had she ever caught the elf looking at her lover in ways he shouldn't? At areas not usually involved in conversation?

Her mind was interrupted as Hawke threw herself down on the bed, landing on her tummy with a deep, relieved breath. The papers on her desk lay in perfect and sorted piles, indicating the end of her mission. "I never want to see another envelope addressed 'Hawke' or 'Champion' again!" she exhaled.

Isabela smiled warmly down at her, gently playing with her hair. The other rogue shifted slightly to peer at her, and they exchanged a long, deep stare. Hawke's eyes were so blue, Isabela noticed. And shiny. She could almost see her own reflection in them...

"Let's go to the Wounded Coast tomorrow. I feel like doing something productive - maybe beat down a smuggler or two for Aveline," Hawke suggested, a tired smile playing across her face.

Isabela stopped abruptly. Didn't Hawke have a crush on the guard-captain not too long ago? It didn't end very well, but she still remembered the look on the black-haired woman's face as their engagement was announced. Her mouth went dry.

"Hawke," she began carefully. "I..."

"And then we can all go play Diamondback at the Hanged Man!" the Champion rambled on, completely unaware of her lover's uttering. "We'll just have to remember to bring Fenris - I'm set on winning back those four sovereigns he took out of my pocket last time. Sneaky bastard... elf!" she chuckled.

"Hey, I - "

But before Isabela could finish, a loud voice found its way in through the shut door. "Dinner's ready, mistress!" Orana announced, half-shouting.

"Ooo, food!" Hawke exclaimed in pleasure, skipping out of the room like the child she was. It was hard to tell were all her seriousness and exhaustion had gone. Isabela sighed to herself, forcing herself to keep her worries inside. No need to make herself look more vulnerable than necessary.

Isabela awoke several hours later from her slumber, to find the bedroom completely covered in darkness. The night air against her naked skin made her shiver, so she instinctively searched for the warm body in bed with her. She gazed to her left, smiling as she found her lover quietly snoring next to her.

She moved herself closer towards the other woman as quietly as she could, carefully snaking an arm around her body to pull her to her. Fast asleep, Hawke showed no sign of reaction towards the gesture. Isabela took a moment to inhale her scent; fresh air, grass, and just a hint of some perfume she used from time to time.

Eventually snapping out of her moment of bliss, the rogue's eyes landed on a small dot of light flickering outside of the window. Frowning, she silently rolled out of bed and draped herself in Hawke's evening robe, which lay thrown on the carpeted floor. Standing by the window frame, she now found the source of the light - a brazier lit in the window of one of the neighbors. Upon closer examination, she let out a long sigh. Not just any neighbor. Fenris.

From this distance, Isabela could make out the elf sitting in the frame of his window, drinking most likely. Though it didn't appear as if his main interest was the Hawke estate, she found herself thinking that he might have been frozen in that spot for hours, spying on them. Well, she didn't think he saw her right now, hiding in the shadows. But who could know his intent?

Isabela didn't like being watched - at least not if the watcher had her permission, like a bunch of lechers from the Hanged Man had been so kindly informed of. But then again, it was probably not her Fenris was searching for if he positioned himself with a view over Hawke's mansion. It was the Champion, of course. Well, she didn't like that thought either.

Her eye twitching, Isabela harshly closed the curtains over the window, blocking out all sight into the bedroom. She then returned to the warmth of the bed, and this time, put a slightly more possessive arm around her lover.


End file.
